David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there’s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David’s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia’s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.
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Former world champion and fight promoter Barry McGuigan has given high praise to both Errol Spence and Kell Brook.
Last month, before a crowd of 27,000 at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, Spence (22-0, 19 KOs) pulled off an eleven round stoppage of Brook (36-2, 25 KOs) to capture the IBF welterweight championship.
During the contest, Brook suffered a fractured left orbital bone. He went down in the tenth, but then took a voluntary knee in the eleventh for the full count.
It was the second fight in a row where Brook was stopped due to orbital bone issues.
Last September, Brook moved up by two weight divisions to challenge middleweight king Gennady Golovkin. As was the case last month, Brook started fast and looked good in the early going, but sustained a fractured right orbital bone and the towel from his corner was thrown during the fifth round - when the Sheffield boxer had stopped fighting back and was simply taking punishment.
After that defeat, there were plenty of fans - and even some fighters - that called Brook a quitter.
McGuigan, who has no contractual ties with Brook, was angered by the criticisms. He felt Brook put in a very brave and impressive performance.
"No way did he quit. That was terrifically brave of him. Errol Spence Jr is a fearsome puncher. Only a moron, or someone who has never taken a punch, would see a man with a busted eye socket as a quitter in the 11th round. And any boxer who says that is talking through his backside," McGuigan told The Mirror.
"Spence proved to be the fighter I thought he was, and will go on to become one of the best fighters of this era. Together, they put on one of the great welterweight fights this country has seen in the last 50 years. It was fought at a ferocious pace, with world-class punches thrown and taken. I was sitting right behind Brook’s corner, and was proud to be ringside."
"Both had points to prove — one to show he wasn’t finished, the other to show he was the real McCoy. Brook does still have a future in boxing, but not at the 147-pound welterweight limit. There is not a doubt in my mind he can win a world title up at middleweight, 154lb — providing he still has the ambition."
